Getting to the Bottom of Things

I can't believe I'm posting this, but the only photo from today was one of my own rear end. Today was busy. Not just regular busy but non-stop, exhausting, feels so good to finally sit down busy.  So busy that I didn't take a picture of anything else despite there being plenty of other, better things on which I could have focused my camera. But every picture tells a story, even if I'm not sure exactly what story this one is trying to tell.   

I spent my day at the intermediate school taking care of PTO business. It was our teacher apprecation luncheon today and our amazing parents stepped up and volunteered to bring all the potluck items! All I needed to do was be there to organize things as they came in and do a little decorating in the teacher's lounge. We went with a rustic/simple theme and used kraft paper for tablecloths and black burlap as runners on each table. Mason jar vases holding autumn floral arrangements served as centerpieces.   

We're also gearing up for our annual talent show so I wanted to visit each classroom to talk with the students about auditions and get them thinking about if they even want to be in the show and what talent they could share. The almost universal response to my "I'm here to talk about the talent show" opening line was one of excitement so I'm feeling optimistic about the whole thing. I answered so many questions from the fourth and fifth graders today. In case you're wondering, no matter how good you are, playing video games is not a talent we'll be showcasing in our event.  

In the middle of the day I had about an hour of time where I could leave the school and focus on something not PTO. I figured this would be the perfect time to head to MPF (the military personnel flight) to follow up with the folks there regarding Madison's travel arrangements for over the Christmas break. You see, the military pays for one round trip from her school to Jared's assigned base each year. But it's not as easy as just booking a flight and submitting a reciepts. There's a bunch of bureacratic hoops to jump through and red tape to navigate past. I finally checked all the boxes on their list - letter from her school certifiying she's attending full time, her passport information, a copy of Jared's orders that brought us to Lakenheath, a four leaf clover, and the tears of a baby unicorn collected on the night of a full moon - now we're just waiting on them to do their side things. Namely, issue travel orders. We need them so that TMO (transportation management office) will book the flight which at this point is only reserved. So I drove over, parked, and walked up the stairs to MPF to find their door shut, the lights off, and a sign stating they were closed for training today. Training?!? Right before a four day weekend? I'm suspicious. 

Unexpected free time in the middle of a day that was supposed to be packed? Seemed like a perfect opportunity to look for some long sleeved shirts for Natalie who just this morning informed me that she has only one winter shirt. The sweet kid keeps growing! It seems as if every morning she comes out of her room dressed for the day and I send her back in to change because her clothes are too small all of the sudden. Finding shirts was easy, thanks to well-stocked clearance racks, so there was still time to kill. 


That's where today's photo comes in. The BX usually has the same stuff, at least as far as denim is concerned. They carry Michael Kors, Vince Camuto, Calvin Klein, Lucky, Silver, Levis, and their store brand. I'm a little picky about my jeans and of all those brands only Lucky jeans work for my body. I love Luckys but they are pricey so I don't buy new jeans very often. I'm currently rotating between two pairs. Imagine my surprise when I spied a new clothing brand smack dab in the middle of the misses section! I grabbed a couple of pairs off the display table and headed to the fitting room. My biggest requirement for demin is that it be flattering to my um . . . . assets. But those little dressing room mirrors are the worst so I resorted to taking selfies of my behind to see if these jeans would make the cut. They did and I happily bought two pairs in different washes. I'm excited to have more than two pairs of jeans again. That's how today's photo came to be! p.s. What's your favorite place to find jeans?
SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Faith?

Image
What would you say if someone asked you what faith is? In Hebrews 11, Paul defined faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The assurance of things hoped for - faith is knowing that because of Jesus Christ, we can hope for a brighter future. I feel as if hope and faith are one and the same. Life can be heartbreakingly difficult sometimes and even though I know that challenges are there to help us learn and grow, I sure wish I didn't have to go through those hard times. When I have felt surrounded by struggles and I couldn't see any way that things would ever get better, the only thing that has kept me moving forward is hope. Not the kind of hope that is sort of wishful like hoping your team wins a World Cup game, but hope that is sure because it is based on Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ is having hope and knowing that His promises are sure.  The evidence of things not seen - faith in God grows when we see Him working in our...
Read more

Anxiety, Friendship, and Insecurity

This post has been kicking around in my head for a while now. My emotions have been closer to the surface lately - which can be both good and bad.  For a couple of weeks last month it was a bad thing and I found myself crying at pretty much everything and feeling alone and friendless even when I was surrounded by people. You'd think I'd be better at making friends after almost forty years of moving and having to form new connections at each new place. Instead, the older I get, the more difficult the process becomes. Even after I make friends deep down I question if we're really friends. I think these feelings of insecurity are part of what makes me willing to do almost anything for my friends. If I do nice things for you maybe you'll continue to tolerate my presence? I think I do a pretty good job hiding my insanity. I can fake confidence really well - smiling and laughing and making small talk. And then I go home and overanalyze and question every little thing I said...
Read more

Four Decades

Image
Birthdays are markers in our lives. Moving from one decade to another is a milestone that is not marked by an accomplishment or an important decision, but simply your age. That's something you can't control as time keeps moving forward whether we're ready for it or not. I can honestly say that I'm not bothered by turning forty and that I still look forward to my birthdays. But there's no denying that those milestone birthdays (you know the ones, they end in zero) are a big deal. A time that, for me, leads to some looking back to see if I've accomplished anything worthwhile in the previous decade of my life or in any of the decades of my life.  So I found photos of myself at all those other ages that end in zero. Maybe if I take it a decade at a time it will be easier to see what I've learned? Seriously, whose dog is this? Italy, 1981 Okay, this first one is already breaking the rules as it's not from a milestone birthday. I have two pictures...
Read more